With only four hours to go until the James Beard Celebrity Chef dinner, Michael Symon and Jonathan Waxman are laboring in the kitchen, where the mood and the food are both great. At the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Kohala Coast, Big Island.

We found national award-winning mixologist Manny Hinojosa prepping for tonight's cocktail gala for the James Beard Celebrity Chef tour. He immediately put us to work. At the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Big Island.

You may never find Sushi ii. It's a new, highly personal sushi bar in the Samsung Plaza, off Keeaumoku Street. And it's more than a sushi bar, with a lively, varied menu and a congenial group of customers.

Having expanded to capacity at his JJ Bistro & French Pastry, Praseuth "JJ" Luangkhot opens J2, a new restaurant down the block--quieter, a bit more upscale, but no more expensive. The food's even better.

From the folks who brought you Ba-Le in Hawaii, comes a new French-accented café where the food's casual, fun, yet seriously good. Opening 1/11/11 in Honolulu, in the renovated Weyerhaeuser warehouse on Nimitz.

About This Blog

From five-star restaurants to hidden holes-in-the-wall, Biting Commentary will let you know what’s hot and what’s not. Find out the latest restaurant news—who’s opening, who’s closing, which chef is moving on, where the great special dinners are. Discover the best menu items, fabulous wines, stunning cocktails, hand-crafted beers.

Our food and Biting Commentary editor Martha Cheng graduated from Wellesley College with degrees in Computer Science and English. She's a former line cook, food truck owner, Peace Corps volunteer and Google techie. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @marthacheng.